The final seminar of the project “White road” was held in Kajaani on the 10-11 of December.

The representatives of the tourists companies, tourist information centers, local administrations, project staff, experts, representatives of the State committee of the Republic of Karelia for tourism took part in the seminar. The special section – training called “Communication Skills in Services” was organized for the participants. Mr. Duncan Holmes, the Director of the British company “Speak the Speech” moderated this section.

During a two-day seminar participants discussed project results, prospects of tourism development in the project territory and outlined the plans for future cooperation.

The project territory contained 2 regions in Finland (Kainuu and Kuusamo) and six northern regions of the Republic of Karelia (Louhi, Kalevala, Kem, Byelomorsk, Segezha, Kostomuksha).

During project implementation there were many activities that can be divided into three blocks, which were aimed to certain problem: education, information and project marketing.

Educational unite includes educational seminars and trainings, aimed at experience exchange, building-up contacts between tourist companies.

The main project result is opening of tourists information centers at six regions of the Republic of Karelia with the active participation of local administrations. The important part of this unite is the active work with the Russian Mass Media so as to promote the project territory. Also the web-page of the project was created.

Thanks to the project tourist companies of the Republic of Karelia had an opportunity to take part in such important marketing events, as the international exhibition “MATKA” (Helsinki, Finland) and the international tourist exhibition "Leisure" in Moscow, and to present their products at international level.

At the final stage of the “White Road” (August-December, 2014) there were test and show trips for journalists and tourist operators from Russia, Finland, Netherlands and Italy.  Russian mass media from Karelia, St. Petersburg and Moscow, broadcasting companies “Karelia”, “Pomorie”, “NIKA Plus” and “Sampo” took part in the test trips. Now the tourist potential of the regions is presented not only in the Karelian Mass Media, but also at the federal lever. Thanks to the participation of broadcasting companies, there are several videos about the project that have been shown on TV.

In general, during joint activities, representatives of the finish and Russian tourism had an opportunity to build-up contacts. They discussed the opportunities of close cooperation and creation of common tourist products. Also they discussed a lot of problems which inhibits the development of tourism in Karelia, including visa regime, road infrastructure and difficulties in the republic legislation in sphere of tourism.

 

Ссылки на видео, подготовленное съемочной группой телекомпании «Сампо»:

http://sampo.tv/video.php?id=9226

 

Ссылки на видео, подготовленное съемочной группой ГТРК «Карелия»:

http://petrozavodsk.rfn.ru/rnews.html?id=1561193